Drafting apparatus with multiple porcupines



Jan. 3, 1956 w. HOLD'SWORTH 2,728,954

DRAFTING APPARATUS WITH MULTIPLE PORCUPINES Filed Feb. 5, 1955 DRAFTING APPARATUS WITH MULTIPLE PORCUPINES Application February 3, 1953, Serial No. 334,779

4 Claims. (Cl. 19-430) This invention relates to a fiber-controlling device for replacing roller drafting on flyer frames. It is an object of the invention to provide such a device which will operate quietly and efficiently, which can be mounted in the customary or standard drawing frame, and which is relatively inexpensive. According to the invention, a plurality of successive porcupines are arranged between the back rolls and the front rolls in such a manner that the fibers passing from the former to the latter are controlled by the pins of the porcupines continuously from the time the fibers leave the back rolls until they reach the nip of the front rolls. The porcupines furthermore are so constructed as to avoid any possibility of fibers lapping or becoming wound around any of them. For this purpose the barrel of each porcupine is provided with longitudinal flutes from the ridges of which the pins project, and the porcupines are so mounted that the rows of pins of each project into valleys of the adjacent porcupines when the pins pass the line of centers. Since the ridges of the flutes hold the fibers radially outward with respect to the valleys, the pins of each porcupine project all the way through the sliver as they pass the line of centers and prevent any lapping.

The device preferably comprises three porcupines which may be but are not necessarily of the same diameter and are driven at the same peripheral speed, mutually adjacent porcupines being rotated in opposite directions. According to the invention, successive porcupines of the series intersect, that is, the rows of pins of each porcupine enter the spaces between those of the next adjacent and have a meshing relationship therewith somewhat similar to that of interengaged gear teeth, so that the spacing of the pins in any row can be as desired and is not dependent on the spacing of pins on the other porcupines. Hence, it is preferred to space the pins on the porcupines so that the wool leaving the back rolls encounters pins with maximum spacing, the spacing on the next two porcupines being progressively less. Thus a relatively gentle combing action is had on the tangled fibers leaving the back rolls but a firmer control is had on the fibers approaching the front or delivery rolls.

Further advantages will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description of an embodiment of the invention and from the drawing, of which Figure l is a plan view of a series of porcupines embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure l, the front and back rolls also being shown; and

Figure 3 is a fragment of Figure 2 on a larger scale showing the interrelation of the pins on successive porcupines and the course of a sliver between them.

The drawing shows a series of three porcupines, 10, 12 and 14 mounted on shafts 16, 18 and 20, respectively, journalled in bars 22 and 24 which are parts of a drawing frame, the rest of which is not shown. The drawing frame has the customary front rolls 26 and 28 and back rolls 30 and 32, the front rolls being spaced from the back rolls a suflicient distance to provide the proper ratch for the F sited States Patent ice fibers to be drafted. The porcupines are arranged between the front rolls and the back rolls to control the fibers in the sliver as they pass from the back rolls to the front rolls.

The porcupines are positively driven at equal peripheral speeds. In the series of three illustrated on the drawing, the porcupines are of the same diameter and are consequently rotated at the same speed, each turning in a direction opposite to that of the next in the series. For this purpose pinions 34, 36 and 38 may be mounted on the respective shafts 16, 18 and 20, these pinions being similar to one another, each meshing with the next in the series as indicated in Figure 1. One of the shafts, e. g. the shaft 16, may be connected by any suitable means (not shown) to a source of power.

Each of the porcupines is made with a fluted surface, the flutes extending longitudinally and consisting of ridges 40 alternating with valleys or grooves 42. Each porcupine is also provided with longitudinal rows of pins 44 which are inclined with respect to the radial direction at each pin so that the pins tilt away from the direction of their movement, this being standard practice in porcupines. According to the present invention the pins in each row are arranged against a side of one of said ridges 40 and project over the crest of that ridge. Successive porcupines in the series are arranged with respect to each other, as indicated in Figure 3, so that each row of pins projects into a valley of the other porcupine as it passes the line of centers of the porcupines. The contour of the flutes is so shaped and the length and angle of the pins are so chosen that the pins of one porcupine barely miss contact with pins of the next porcupine as the pins pass the line of centers of the porcupines when rotated. Since the pins of each porcupine enter a valley of the next porcupine at one point during each revolution, the pins at such point project through and beyond the sliver 50 passing between the porcupines. This effectively prevents the fibers from lapping or winding themselves around the entire circumference of any of the porcupines to form a lap thereon.

Since the pins of the successive intersecting porcupines do not cross each other at any point but pass by in a meshing relationship similar to the meshing of gear teeth, the spacing of the pins in any row can be as desired without danger of any clashing with pins on the next porcupine. Hence I prefer to employ different spacing between the pins in the rows on the successive porcupines. The pins on the porcupine 14, that is, the one nearest to the back rolls, are more widely spaced than those on the middle porcupine 12, and the pins on the latter are more widely spaced than those on the porcupine 10 which is nearest to the front rolls. For example, the porcupine 14 may have pins spaced 14 to the inch; the porcupine 12 may have pins spaced 17 to the inch and the porcupine 10 may have pins spaced 20 to the inch, but the invention is not limited to these or any other specific spacings.

It is desirable that the fibers approaching the front rolls be controlled as completely as possible. The porcupines are therefore arranged so that one of them is as close as possible to the nip of the front rolls, as shown in Figure 2. In like manner the porcupine 14 at the other end of the series is close to the nip of the back rolls. Thus the fibers are controlled continuously from the time they leave the back rolls until they reach the front rolls. The sliver coming from the back rolls passes over the porcupine 14, under the porcupine 12, and then over the porcupine 10 to the front rolls. This circuitous path results in a ratch which is considerably greater than the direct distance between the nips of the two sets of rolls.

I claim:

1. A porcupine comprising a cylindrical body with a longitudinally fluted surface with alternate ridges and valleys, and a row of spaced pins projecting outward from each said ridge, said pins being uniformly inclined with respect to the radial direction.

2. In a drawing frame having front rolls and having back rolls spaced from. said front rolls, a plurality of porcupines mounted on said frame between the front rolls and back rolls to rotate about parallel axes, said porcupines having fluted surfaces with longitudinal ridges and valleys and a longitudinally extending row of pins adjacent to each said ridge, one of said valleys being between each two successive rows of pins, means connecting adjacent porcupines for rotation at equal peripheral speeds in opposite directions, the axes of said porcupines being so spaced that the rows of pins on each porcupine enter the spaces and project into thevalleys between rows of, pins of the next adjacent porcupine when they pass the line of centers of said porcupines;

3-. In a drawing framehaving, front rolls and having back rolls spaced from said front rolls, a series of three porcupines mounted. onv said frame to rotate aboutparallel axes, said porcupines having fluted. surfaces with longitudinal ridges and valleys and a row of pins projecting from each of said ridges'in a direction uniformly inclined with respect to the radial direction, and driving meansconmeeting each said. porcupine to the next in the series for rotation at the same peripheral speed but in the opposite direction, the axes of the porcupines being so spaced that the rows of pins on each porcupine enter the spaces and project into the valleys between rows of pins on the next porcupine, the spacing of the individual pins in each row on the porcupine nearest to the front rolls being less than that of the pins in the middle porcupines, the spacing of the individual pins in each row on the porcupine nearest to the back rolls being greater than that of the pins on the middle porcupines.

4. In a drawing frame having front rolls and having back rolls spaced from said front rolls, a set of three porcupines mounted on said frame between said front rolls and said back rolls to rotate about parallel axes which are in a common plane, said porcupines having longitudinally spaced rows of pins arranged to move into and out of the spaces between rows of pins on the next adjacent porcupine when the porcupines are rotated, and means connecting said adjacent porcupines for rotation at equal peripheral speeds in opposite directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,323,885 McBride Dec. 2, 1919 2,228,809 Balmes-solanas Jan. 14, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,025 France May 19, 1925 

